Promises
by HowCouldThisHappenToMe
Summary: A year after the war ended, and peace still hasn't happened. Another war is on the horizon, and we have to stop it. Otherwise, I fear what will happen to this world, and the people who I am destined to protect. Direct sequel to "Call My Name".
1. Chapter 1

**So, I have good news and bad news for the fans of "Call My Name". The bad news: You guys aren't going to get the LOK sequel that you have been asking me for. My lore just doesn't fit for LOK in any way shape or form. Kala's next incarnation would have to be a Fire Nation boy, and Aang's would be an Earth Kingdom girl. As you can see, this just wouldn't work. So, here's the good news: This story right here is a direct sequel to Kala's story, taken from "The Promise", the graphic novels that tie A:TLA and LOK together. So, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA or LOK, or any of their characters. I only have Kala.**

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Fireworks burst just above our heads in celebration for the peace that was sure to be brought to the world. Aang and I had spoken with Earth King Kuei and Zuko about what was now going to be known as the Harmony Restoration Movement. Finally, the four nations would be able to coexist without endless war and strife. I held on tightly to Zuko as Aang directed Appa around all of the fireworks, a bright smile on my face. At this point, we still hadn't announced our engagement even to our friends. We would wait a year before doing so, in order to keep the focus on fixing what was wrong with the world, instead of on our relationship status.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Zuko?" I asked wistfully as I stared up at the light show above us.

"Yeah," he answered quietly, but I could tell he had more on his mind than the celebrations.

"Hey, wanna know what fireworks are like for me?" Toph inquired of Sokka. "Close your eyes." He did so, only for the Metalbender to yell loudly in his ear as she mimicked the sounds of the exploding fireworks.

"Oh, Toph, don't be such a grump," Katara said as she hugged the younger girl. "You're out with friends on a beautiful night, celebrating the fact that we saved the world!"

"You, too, your new majesty Fire Lord Zuko sir! Turn that frown upside down! It's happy time!" Aang cheered with a grin that lit up his face. I shook my head and that was when he noticed the concentrated expression on my fiancée's face. "Zuko…?"

"I visited my father in prison the other day… I've been meaning to ask you for a favor, Aang. You too, Kala."

"Sure, anything," Aang answered.

"You know I'll do anything for you," I added.

"If you two ever see me turning into my father, I want you to… I want you to end me," Zuko said.

"What?" Aang and I demanded simultaneously.

"Even now, after everything that's happened, my family's legacy is still a part of me. That's why it's my duty to heal the scars that the Fire Nation has left on the world. But the Fire Lord's thrown comes with a lot of pressures, and if I'm honest with myself… I need a safety net. The world needs a safety net. That's what I need the two of you to be. The safety net."

"Zuko, you're _not_ your dad! And you're my _friend_! How can you expect me-" Aang began.

"As your friend, I'm asking you—If you ever see me go bad, end me. That goes for you too, Kala. _Promise me_." Aang turned to Katara for guidance, while I stared at Zuko in disbelief.

"… Fine. I promise," Aang finally whispered. I crossed my arms over my chest as Zuko looked at me expectantly.

"Kala-" he began.

"What do you want me to say, Zuko? You're asking me to kill the man I love if he starts going through some hard times. I believe in fixing what's tarnished, not giving up on it. You, of all people, should know that by now. So, no, I will not end you if I start to see a little of your father in you. I'm going to make you a different promise."

"But what if-"

"Zuko, I promise you that I will never let you get to the point where Aang will have to fulfill the promise he's just made you. I will fix what is tarnished, not throw it away. This, I swear to you," I answered with a fierce look of determination. I wasn't giving him any room to argue, because I would not settle for anything less. After a moment, Zuko finally nodded in his agreement to my terms and I leaned forward to kiss his cheek. It was time to enjoy the festivities again.

* * *

A year had passed since that night, and the peace and harmony that we had all worked so hard for hadn't been accomplished yet. Zuko and I had finally announced our engagement earlier in the year, in the hopes that it would help people see how times had changed. A girl from the Southern Water Tribe was due to become the Fire Lady. Still, the people of the world were skeptical of how well the Harmony Restoration Movement was functioning. Admittedly, I wondered the same many nights. Zuko had been losing sleep, and it was starting to show in his eyes. Most nights, he would awaken and search for an unknown assailant. Sometimes his suspicions were proven correct, but usually not. This night was no different as my fiancée leapt from our bed to investigate the hallway, which was being guarded. I remained in bed, sure he would return within minutes.

"Down with the traitor! Down with the Fire Lord who betrays his own people!" a feminine voice yelled from the hall and I immediately leapt out of bed and ran to the door. Zuko had just been knocked to the ground by the young woman who'd come to assassinate him when I arrived. I wasted no time in drawing water from the bowl beside the door and pinning her to the wall with ice.

"Convince me not to take your life," Zuko threatened as he took the mask from the girl's face.

"Go ahead! My family has been loyal to yours for generations! By getting rid of me, you would simply complete your betrayal!"

"So says the woman come to murder her leader," I retorted.

"Your family?" Zuko inquired of her.

"My father is the mayor of Yu Dao!" she snapped.

"Yu Dao… the first of the Fire Nation colonies."

"Yes, my home! And now you and the Avatar Halves are going to destroy it with your precious Harmony Restoration Movement!"

"I would suggest you watch your tone," I warned the girl. "Zuko, I think we should go to Yu Dao in the morning to return her to her home, and see if we can't sort this out." My fiancée nodded in agreement, but I could see the weariness in his gaze. Being Fire Lord was wearing him out, and it seemed as though it wouldn't be long before he might crack under the pressure of it all. I gave him a concerned glance that was promptly ignored as he ordered the guards to take our would-be assassin to a room and keep her there for the remainder of the night. As we returned to bed, I rested a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"I'm fine," he whispered softly. "Just go to sleep."

"You don't have to do it all on your own, you know. I'm here for you," I answered just as gently.

"You're a Half. Your duty is to the world."

"I'm also your best friend and going to be your wife. I see it as my personal responsibility to make sure you are okay. You're feeling the stress more than I am at this point."

"It's fine. We'll sort everything out in Yu Dao tomorrow."

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**I'm foreseeing about six chapters total for this story, since I've been doing two chapters per graphic novel, and the third/final one comes out in September. So I'm going to update this weekly with each of the chapters I've already written and see how it goes. Please R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2

"You must be Mayor Morishita," Zuko said as he and I approached the mayor of Yu Dao. The would-be assassin, named Kori, had been returned to her father by our guards. "Your daughter snuck into my home and tried to kill me!"

"Kori?" the mayor exclaimed.

"_Someone_ had to do _something_!" the girl defended. Her father dropped to the ground and bowed deeply to the both of us.

"My sincerest apologies for my daughter's rash behavior, Fire Lord! Have mercy!"

"I should have this whole place burned down!" Zuko yelled. I grabbed his arm in an attempt to rein him in. Because he was Fire Lord, I couldn't directly reprimand him without undermine his authority to his citizens, but I could use subtle movements to prevent him from being as rash as Kori had been the night before.

"Why bother?" said woman demanded. "The Harmony Restoration Movement will accomplish the same thing without you having to lift a finger!"

"Why can't you colonials get it through your thick skulls? The Harmony Restoration Movement is a means to _peace_!"

"P-_Peace_?" the mayor repeated incredulously as he stood. "Peace for _whom_? With all due respect, your majesty, my family has lived on this land for generations! This city was built on our blood and sweat! We have as much right to be here as anyone else!"

"You're Fire Nation citizens! You should live in the Fire Nation!"

"You're right, Fire Lord! We _are_ Fire Nation citizens! And I'll tell you this—_your father_ would never have let the Avatar Halves and the Earth King bully him into something so obviously bad for his own nation's citizens!"

"Why does everyone assume I've been bullying Zuko into doing anything?" I demanded. "We _all_ agreed this would be beneficial for the world. This has nothing to do with-" Before I could finish, Zuko unleashed a blast of fire and pinned the mayor of the town to the wall behind him.

"_I'm not my father_!" he yelled loudly.

"No, young man. You're not," Mayor Morishita answered sternly. "Fire Lord Ozai had many faults, but he was never a _coward_. He was never a _traitor_." Zuko's eyes suddenly widened as he released the older man before him.

"You'll regret saying that, old man! Guards, seize him!" No sooner had Zuko spoken those words when a wall of earth rose from the ground to protect the mayor Zuko and I turned around to see a middle-aged woman had been the one to raise the earth.

"Fire Lord, please! Forgive my husband's foolishness!" the woman pleaded. "I've told him time and time again to control his tongue, but he never does!"

"You're Mayor Morishita's wife? An Earthbender?" Zuko asked, as if he were thoroughly surprised. I couldn't see why, considering I was from the Southern Water Tribe and we were planning to be wed.

"Yes, I'm and Earthbender. As is our daughter." With a swift motion, Kori was released from her chains by a spike of rock.

"I may be an Earthbender, but through my father's bloodline I am a Fire Nation citizen! My father taught me to always be loyal to the Fire Nation, to _my people_. Something you obviously never learned from _your_ father," Kori yelled.

"Would your majesties be willing to stay in Yu Dao for a few days? It would be an honor for us to show the Fire Lord and soon-to-be Fire Lady our way of life."

After only a couple days, Zuko had seen enough to believe the Harmony Restoration Movement was detrimental to the Fire Nation citizens that he was supposed to be protecting. It was then that he turned to his guards and gave an order that I knew would hurt him in the long run.

"The Fire Nation is revoking its support in the Harmony Restoration Movement. Kala and I are remaining here for the time being. Don't let anyone in," he commanded. As the guards moved to carry out Zuko's orders, I pulled my fiancée aside.

"Zuko, I think that was a bad idea," I reprimanded. "Revoking your support is likely to start another war. We just finished fighting one. Do you really want this?"

"What am I supposed to do, Kala? I have to do what is best for my people."

"I understand that, but shouldn't you also think about the world at large? Maybe the Harmony Restoration Movement wasn't the _best_ course of action, but completely revoking your support in it isn't any better. It would be better to try to come to some form of compromise."

"Until that compromise can be found, I have to defend my people and stop what's happening to them. That's why I've pulled back." It took mere days for Aang and our friends to hear of the news. Aang and Katara arrived in the town square a week later and were met by the guards that had been posted to keep them out. By the time Zuko and I arrived, Katara had frozen many of them to nearby buildings and had stopped another from attacking Aang from behind.

"Can't you people give it a rest? He just wants to talk!" she yelled.

"Katara, stop!" Zuko ordered as he grabbed her wrists. Even from where I was standing, I could see that he was holding her too tightly for comfort.

"Let go, Zuko! You're hurting me! Don't make me hurt you back!"

"_I'm_ hurting _you_! What are you doing to my soldiers? _My people_?"

"Let go of her, Zuko! She said you're hurting her!" Aang yelled.

"First, she ahs to agree to stop attacking my people!"

"Your soldiers attacked first. _Let her go now!_"

"I'm the Fire Lord! I have to protect the citizens of the Fire Nation!"

"Both of you need to stop, now!" I ordered as I lifted water to douse both the Fire Lord and the other Half. Before I could, Aang unleashed a gust of air that knocked Zuko backwards and onto the ground. He retaliated by throwing fireballs at Aang. Without hesitation, I used the water I had manipulated to put out the flames and protect the other Half from my fiancée.

"I came here to talk to you, Zuko! As a friend! But you've changed! You've forgotten what we fought for! Maybe Half Kyoshi was right. Maybe a promise is a promise." Aang's eyes and arrow tattoos began to glow and I began feeling weaker. His anger was throwing him into the Partial Avatar State, which drew upon my energy to work properly. I ran to stand in front of Zuko, ready to protect him despite my fatigue.

"Aang, that's enough!" I yelled over the howling winds. "You know as well as I do that if you enter the Partial Avatar State like this, you won't be able to control yourself!" Katara neared the enraged young teen and cupped his face in her palms. With a few whispered words, she was able to calm him down enough that he returned to his normal state.

"I can't believe it. I might've done something terrible without even thinking it through. Zuko, Kala, I'm so-"

"Kala's right. We _both_ need to calm down. And talk," Zuko conceded.

"Are you kidding me? That's what I wanted in the first place!"

Zuko and I led Aang and Katara through the city of Yu Dao as Zuko explained a bit of the history of the city. It was the first of the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and rose from a tiny village into one of the richest cities in the world. I was impressed by the growth the city had, though I was admittedly less than pleased with how many of the Earth Kingdom citizens in Yu Dao didn't have the same status as their Fire Nation counterparts.

"The history lesson is great and all, but none of it matters!" Aang finally said. "By betraying the Harmony Restoration Movement, you're going to start another war!"

"You think we don't know that?" I retorted.

"Look, Aang, when I came here a week ago, I had planned to _personally_ enforce the removal of Yu Dao from the Earth Kingdom." He proceeded to explain what had happened when we arrived, and what the mayor and his family had shown us of the city. "So I stayed. I saw what my people created here. I saw what the Harmony Restoration Movement would destroy. I changed my mind. Ever since my coronation, I've had trouble finding peace. Now, I think I've finally figured out why. I'd forgotten about my people. I know you and Kala defeated the Fire Nation, but my people still deserve respect!"

"Excuse me?" I exclaimed. "Aang and I defeated your father. We all did. There has not been a moment where I thought the Fire Nation did not deserve respect. I've lived in its culture more than my own!"

"It'd be disrespectful to take from them a life they spent generations building! I won't let that happen!"

"Harmony requires four separate nations to balance each other out!" Aang yelled. "You can't have balance if one nation occupies another!"

"But there is more that can be done," I answered.

"Maybe Yu Dao can be an exception," Katara suggested softly.

"What?" Aang demanded

"It's just a thought."

"Exceptions should be made for _all_ the remaining colonies!" Zuko insisted. "Most of htem have been around for well over a century. They're older than you, Aang!"

"You have _got_ to be joking. That would make peace impossible," the other Half retorted.

"Well, regardless, the Earth King needs to be part of whatever happens next. If Aang and I can arrange a meeting, will you be there, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"I'll be there," Zuko answered after a moment and I hoped he could see that a reasonable compromise could come of this.

"I'm going with you two," I told her. "As the other Half, I think I should be there to talk to King Kuei." I turned to Zuko and pulled him aside to have a bit of privacy. "Go home. I want you to rest so you can think rationally when this meeting comes. And I'm worried about you."

"How can I rest when all this is happening?"

"At least try. Please, Zuko, for me." He sighed heavily before nodding. I gave him a gentle smile and a kiss before turning to Aang and Katara. "Just let me change out of these robes of royalty and into something a bit more practical for travel."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is another chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA or any of its characters.**

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I sighed heavily as I flew on Appa's back with Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka. I was happy to be flying with them again, as it felt akin to coming home. At the same time, I was less than pleased with having to sit across from Aang and Katara, who were acting as any couple should, when I knew Zuko was going through so much turmoil that I couldn't directly help him with. In a way, I was a bit envious of them. Sokka made a sound of disgust in their general direction.

"What?" Toph asked as she picked her nose, which caused me to edge away from her slightly. "Everybody does it!"

"I was talking about _them_ not y—Oh. You, too," Sokka answered when he saw what the Earthbending master was doing. Some time later, we were flying over a building in the middle of the forest.

"Well, it's been fun, guys, but I gotta get back to my school," Toph said as she stood, referring to the Metalbending school she had established in the past year.

"Leaving already, Toph?" Katara asked.

"Yeah. Someone's gotta keep the lily livers—I mean _my students_ in line."

"It was great seeing you again, Toph," I said with a chuckle.

"Wait!" Sokka exclaimed in a loud whisper as he reached for the fabric of Toph's pants. "You can't leave me here with _them_. The oogie-osity's only gonna get worse after you're gone! How am I supposed to keep my food down?"

"Well, you could come with me," the Earthbender suggested.

"No, no. Hey! How about I go with you?"

"Great idea, Sokka. Wish I'd thought of it."

"Katara, Aang, Kala, I'm going with Toph. To check out her school, not because you two are giving me the oogies or anything," Sokka said, pointing to his sister and the other Half.

"We'll pick you up on the way back from Ba Sing Se. Have fun," I told him with a smile.

"Hold on, guys! Just give Appa a second to land!" Aang called as he moved to Appa's head to grab the reins.

"Don't bother, Twinkle Toes. We're close enough to the ground. I can smell the trees near my school," Toph responded as she grabbed Sokka's hand and leapt out of the saddle. I waved to them as they landed on solid ground, thanks to Toph's Earthbending skill, and leaned back to where I had been resting before. We still had a full day of flying ahead of us, and I figured I would get comfortable.

As the sun was beginning to set, Aang, Katara and I finally reached Ba Sing Se. A lot had changed in the past year since defeating Ozai. The Earth King was far more aware of what was going on in and around his city, and was becoming a more effective leader for his people. The appearance of the city itself hadn't changed, but that didn't come as a surprise to me. There wasn't much need to change the structure, so long as what was happening inside its walls was changed. Aang pulled out his glider and told Katara and I to hang on tightly as he let Appa go find somewhere to sleep for the night. The three of us landed, rather shakily, in a lower-level part of the city. It wasn't far from where I had lived with Zuko and Iroh when we had come to Ba Sing Se what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Now _we_ need to find a place to stay the night," Aang said as our feet touched solid ground.

"Iroh would be more than happy to see us again, and I'm sure he would let us use the spare rooms in his home. We just have to go-" I began, but was cut off by a loud scream.

"Oh my gosh! Is it, like, really you?" a girl's voice asked excitedly. We turned to see two girls wearing shirts with Aang's face on them, both looking ecstatic to see the Airbender.

"I can't , like, belive it? It's really you, with your flying lemur and everything? I had, like, this recurring dream where I'd wake up and you'd just be there, all magically and stuff? I'd be like, "_Wow, you're really here?_" But then I'd be like, "_Oh no, it's just a dream?_" but now it's real and everything? So, like, wow?" one of the girls said really quickly while the other shrieked again.

"I'm sorry, have we met…?" Aang inquired unsurely while I glanced warily at the two girls who were obviously fans of his.

"Oh my gosh! It's like, me who should be sorry? I'm Hei-won, co-president and co-founder of the Official Half Aang Fan Club, Ba Sing Se chapter? And this is Won-yee, my fellow co-president and co-founder? Can I just say, your lemur is, like, sooo cute?" I found myself gritting my teeth at the way this girl talked. It was as though everything she said was intoned like a question, whether it needed to be or not.

"Wow! Did you hear that? They started a fan club for me!" Aang said excitedly to Katara and me.

"Wonderful," we both deadpanned. I wasn't jealous that Aang had a fan club that seemed to ignore the fact that it took two to have an Avatar. What I was more concerned with was that we needed to see the Earth King early the next morning, and it was a bad idea to be wasting the night with a couple of girls who would surely keep Aang up doing parlor tricks for them.

"Nice to meet you both! I'm Aang! My lemur's name is Momo."

"Momo is, like, the cutest name ever?" Hei-won exclaimed. Katara cleared her throat for Aang to introduce her.

"Oh! And this is Katara!" She cleared her throat again. "My _girlfriend_ Katara. And Kala, the other Half."

"What an honor it is to meet Half Aang's first girlfriend," Won-yee said with a bow.

"Why thank you, I—Wait, what do you mean _first_?" Katara asked, earning a sly expression from the other girl. She quickly grabbed Aang's shoulders and turned him away from his fans. I was more than happy to follow after her. "Uh… Aang? We should get going. It's late and we need to find a place-"

"Oh my gosh! You guys are, like, looking for a place to stay? It'd be sooo amazing if you, like, stayed at our clubhouse?" Hei-won suggested. "Um, it's just down the street? And we, like, made it look like the Western Air Temple, because most of our club members are girls and everything?"

"Wow! I'd love to see it!" Aang answered enthusiastically. Within seconds, the two girls were dragging the other Half while Katara and I followed after them to their clubhouse. All the while, I couldn't help but think that I would have much rather been spending the night in Iroh's home.

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**Please R&R.**


	4. Chapter 4

**And this is all I have written so far. More to come after September, when the final graphic novel comes out.**

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The following day, Aang, Katara and I finally met with the Earth King and explained what had been happening in Yu Dao. We told him of how the people in that colony lived, and how Zuko was trying to do what was right for his people. Katara and I suggested that a better solution could be found by having a meeting with the young Fire Lord. Once all of the necessary information had been relayed to King Kuei, he asked for some time alone so that he might think over everything we had told him. Aang, Katara and I stayed in the palace all day, waiting patiently for the Earth King's decision on holding a meeting with Zuko. We were eating dinner before he finally emerged from his chambers.

"Half Aang, Half Kala and Katara, thank you for giving me time to ponder our present situation," he said as he approached us.

"No problem, your earthiness! Thank _you_ for dinner! So when should we set up our meeting with Fire Lord Zuko?" Aang inquired.

"I'm sorry, but you're not going to like what I have to say." I set my chopsticks down and stared intently at the Earth King, hoping he wouldn't have decided what I thought he did. "All my live, I've been weak—so weak that my most trusted advisor was able to hid a hundred years' war behind a curtain of lies! Well, I'm tired of being weak! It's time for me to be a _man_!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked hotly.

"Don't use your prior inability to lead as an excuse to attack my fiancée!" I snapped at him.

"Fire Lord Zuko promised he would see the Harmony Restoration Movement to the very end. Now he's turned his promise into a lie! Why should I meet with him—so he can tell me more lies? I will not stand for any more lies! I will order General How to lean my troops to Yu Dao and _enforce harmony_!"

"There's no such thing. You can't _enforce_ harmony, because that defeats the purpose entirely."

"Your majesty, do you even hear what you're saying?" Katara asked as she stood from where she was seated.

"Please, Earth King Kuei! Sending your army there will be seen as a declaration of war!" Aang insisted.

"The Fire Nation residents of Yu Dao with either leave my kingdom peacefully or face the most dire of consequences! That is my decision! If you are not with me Halves Aang and Kala, then I can only assume that you are against me!" the Earth King answered as he began walking away.

"Then you will be no better than Ozai!" I yelled, standing abruptly from the table. "You will be killing hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, to further your own goals. I came here to help make peace, not to promote another pointless war! You seem to forget that I am not only a Half, but soon to be the Fire Lady. As such, I am a national ambassador and can speak for the Fire Nation. We. Want. Peace."

"You duty is the act as a Half before acting on behalf of the Fire Nation. I have nothing more to say to _you_." With that, King Kuei turned and left the room. I glared after him for only a second before reaching for a pen and paper.

"Kala, what are you doing?" Aang asked softly.

"Writing a message to Zuko. I have to warn him." I whistled loudly and the messenger hawk Zuko had sent me with flew into the room and landed on my shoulder. I rolled up my message to my fiancée and gave the hawk the proper directions to where he needed to take it. "Aang, I need you to take me back to the Fire Nation immediately. If it's a war King Kuei wants, it is a war he shall get."

"I can take you back to the Yu Dao, but not the Fire Nation. We will need your help there. And if Zuko gets your message tonight, then he will probably be sending his army there by morning. But Kala, I don't think this is the path to take. You're a Half and you are supposed to be promoting peace."

"I tried that and King Kuei refuses to listen to reason. I know I'm a Half, but I must also look after the well-being of my people. I am going to be their Fire Lady. They look to me to protect them. I want peace and harmony, and you know I am more than willing to form a compromise. But until King Kuei sees reason, I must do what is best for my people."

"Your people?" Katara demanded incredulously as we began running outside to leave on Appa. "Kala, you are from the Water Tribe. You were a slave to the Fire Nation."

"In another time, yes. Now times have changed. I plan to try to stop the war from happening on the Fire Nation side, but I need you two to stop the Earth King from doing something we will all regret. I don't want to fight another war in my lifetime," I answered somberly as I climbed onto Appa's back and we flew high into the sky. I stared down at the Earth Kingdom below as we passed over it, and I wondered if it would soon be the site of the next hundred-year war. I prayed it wouldn't.

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**Please R&R.**


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